About:
- Vande Bharat Express, earlier named as Train 18, is India’s fastest indigenous train which has been built by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai under the Government’s Make in India.
- Timeline: It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi between New Delhi and Varanasi on February 15, 2019 and is running with no reported issues in the last six months.
- It is India’s first semi-high-speed train which will run from Delhi to Varanasi, with halts at Kanpur and Allahabad, at a maximum speed of 160 kmph by covering the distance in 8 hours.
- It is equipped with world class passenger amenities like On-board wifi entertainment, GPS based passenger information system, CCTVs, bio-vacuum toilets, rotating chairs in executive class, etc.
- The express will have two travel classes: executive and chair car, similar to the Shatabdi.
- Further, it has intelligent braking system with power regeneration for better energy efficiency thereby making it cost, energy and environment efficient.
- It is also the first locomotive-less train in the country.
Q1) What is bio vacuum toilets?
The vacuum evacuation is designed in such a way that it sucks out the waste from each toilet with minimum use of water into the Bio- digester tank installed under the carriage. The toilet system is isolated from the bio-tank to avoid bad odour in the passenger area.
Source: PM Modi flags off Delhi-Dehradun Vande Bharat Express
Last updated on January, 2026
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